Probe Finds Homeland Security Network Has Problems

The replacement for the Homeland Security Department's computerized network for nationwide information sharing could be headed down the same path as its cumbersome original, said a government report released Wednesday.

The Homeland Security Information Network, or HSIN, was launched in 2004 to provide a secure, Internet-based system to share terrorism information with federal, state and local agencies and the private sector. Last year officials stopped trying to improve the $91 million system, opting instead to replace it with a new and improved version, called HSIN Next Gen, which could cost as much as $62 million more.

The original was criticized for limited capabilities and features that made the system hard for users to navigate. That was particularly true for users in critical areas such as transportation systems and food distribution. For example, the original system could not let users use one sign-in name and password, send and receive alerts through e-mail or cell phones or support online meetings, the Government Accountability Office said.